If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
Jin had lived by this principle his entire former life, though he had sometimes been forced to act against it. Today, however, he knew his enemy perfectly.
They were four girls and six boys, and they were engaged in an activity he detested above all others: wasting precious time. In this case, they were playing hide-and-seek.
"I got you!" one of the boys shouted with glee from behind a barrel.
"We almost won!" another yelled to her friends. "We just need to find one more!"
Jin, naturally, was the last one left to be found.
What the children could never know was that if he could properly invoke the Third Chapter of the Book of Heaven and Earth, "Tranquility," not even the gods could find him across all Five Realms.
However, today was their lucky day.
"I got you, Jin! Come out from behind that wall!" a girl shouted.
With his current low level of cultivation, the supreme art of becoming one with the world was far beyond his reach. For now, he was just a boy hiding behind a stone wall.
"We searched all over for you!" the girl exclaimed, laughing. "To think you were right here in front of us the whole time."
Jin knew it was the most obvious hiding spot, and therefore the last place they would think to look.
"Well, you found me," he said, unable to hide the anticipation in his voice. "So... are we done now?"
"Of course not, silly!" the girl answered. Jin had since learned her name was Kelly, and she was indeed the Duke's niece. "We still have to play house!"
House? They had already idled away three precious hours playing tag and hide-and-seek. Jin's patience was wearing thin.
"If you don't want to play, you can just leave," another boy of a similar age said with a sneer. "No one will miss you."
"No, I'm sure Jin wants to play with us. Right, Jin?" Kelly insisted, looking at him with an expectant smile.
Jin forced a smile of his own. "Of course. But... I don't know how to play."
"It's easy!" she said, grabbing his hand. "We just pretend to be a family. We need to pick roles. We need a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a baby, a grandmother, a grandfather, an uncle, an aunt... and a slave."
"So," Kelly declared, clapping her hands together, "since it's Jin's first time, he can be the baby!"
Jin's mind went blank.
He, who was once feared by all, a being who had rivaled the gods. He, who had slaughtered mortals and apostles as if they were pigs. Nobody—truly nobody, not even Arthur himself in his moment of ultimate victory—would have dared to even suggest such a monumental humiliation.
And yet, here he was.
But just as he stood upon the precipice of this new, unthinkable abyss, a voice, more welcome than any heavenly choir, boomed across the training field.
"Get out of here, all of you! Clear the grounds! The Royal Army arrives today!"
It was Commander Lionex, his authoritative shout scattering the children like startled birds. For the first time in either of his lives, Jin felt something akin to genuine relief. He was saved.
He took off running, moving faster than any of the other children. "Saved," he muttered under his breath, a wave of relief washing over him.
But then, disaster struck.
"Jin!" a familiar, girly voice called out from behind him. "Wait for me!"
He glanced over his shoulder and saw the brat, Kelly, keeping pace with him effortlessly.
Is she that fast, he wondered with a flicker of annoyance, or is this child's body just that slow?
"We're still playing house today, even if you don't want to!" Kelly declared, still running alongside him.
"What in the world are you talking about?" he asked, looking at her with wide, big eyes. They were both still sprinting across the castle grounds, seemingly oblivious to the fact.
"The others are gone now," she explained breathlessly, "so you don't have to be the baby. You can be the big brother!"
"What?! No, thank you!"
"Fine," she pouted. "Then you can be the father, and I'll be the mother."
"No, no, absolutely not," he said, shaking his head vehemently. Even as a game, the thought of "marrying" a child was repulsive.
"Why not?" she asked, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "The other boys would be grateful for the chance!"
Jin finally skidded to a halt. They had run far from the training grounds and were now near the castle's stables.
He turned to face her, his patience completely exhausted. "To be honest," he said, his voice dropping the childish pretense, "I just want to be left alone."
"Why?" Kelly asked, her head tilted in confusion.
"Because..." Jin scrambled for a plausible excuse. "Because I like to read. Being alone allows me to read in peace."
"Read?" she repeated, the word sounding foreign on her tongue.
"Yes, read."
"You... you can read?" she asked, her eyes wide with shock.
Now it was Jin's turn to look confused. "You can't?"
"Of course not! None of the children here can," she said, looking at him as if he had just sprouted a second head. "Where did you learn how to do that?"
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
For the first time in a very long time, Jin realized he had failed to uphold that principle. He had not known his enemy, and in this case, his enemy was the simple, staggering illiteracy of a child.
***
An army five thousand strong, a sea of steel and banners, stood in disciplined ranks before the castle.
"Open the gate!" their commander, a stern-faced man atop a powerful warhorse, bellowed.
The great gates began to rise, and the Duke, accompanied by Commander Lionex, rode out on their own black destriers to meet the arriving force.
"Greetings, General," the Duke said with a formal nod.
"Greetings, Your Grace," the General returned, his voice crisp and professional. "Time is of the essence. Please, show us the way."